Thousands of Covid-19 Deaths Could Be Related to Air Pollution, Study Finds

OVER 6,000 COVID-19 deaths in the UK could be related to long-term exposure to air pollution, a study suggests.

Research estimates that around 15% of deaths worldwide from Covid-19 could be attributed to long-term exposure to tiny pollution particles known as particulate matter or PM2.5, and in the UK the figure is around 14%.

The scientists behind the study, published in the journal Cardiovascular Research, said their figures do not imply that air pollution directly caused deaths from Covid-19, although it is possible.

But it could aggravate other health conditions like high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, asthma, and COPD, leading to a substantially higher risk of death from the virus.

The researchers aimed to assess the proportion of deaths that could be prevented if people were exposed to lower levels of air pollution, with no emissions from burning fossil fuels and other human-driven activities.

The study used data from previous studies from the US and China on air pollution and Covid-19 and the Sars outbreak in 2003, as well as data from Italy.

It also relied on satellite data to show global exposure to PM2.5, information on atmospheric conditions, and ground-based pollution monitoring networks to create a model to estimate the proportion of Covid-19 deaths attributable to air pollution.

The researchers’ assessment suggests that 27% of deaths in East Asia could be attributed to air pollution, 17% in North America 17%, and around 19% in Europe overall.

Long term exposure

Professor Jos Lelieveld, from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany, and the Cyprus Institute in Nicosia, said: “Since the number of deaths from Covid-19 is increasing all the time, it is not possible to give exact or final numbers of Deaths by Covid-19 by country that can be attributed to air pollution.

“However, by way of example, in the UK there have been more than 44,000 deaths from coronavirus and we estimate that the fraction attributable to air pollution is 14%, which means that more than 6,100 deaths could be attributed to the air pollution”.

Research associate Professor Thomas Munzel, from Johannes Gutenberg University and the German Center for Cardiovascular Research in Mainz, said that inhaled pollutants cause inflammation and damage to the arteries.

“If both prolonged exposure to air pollution and infection with the Covid-19 virus come together, then we will have an adverse additive effect on health, particularly with regard to the heart and blood vessels, leading to increased vulnerability. and less resistance to Covid -19 ”, he said.

“If you already have heart disease, air pollution and coronavirus infection will cause problems that can lead to heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.”

The study also said that it “seems likely” that fine pollutant particles prolong the time infectious viruses survive in the air, favoring their transmission.

The researchers said most of the particulate matter came from fossil fuels and called for efforts to reduce emissions that cause both air pollution and climate change to accelerate for health and environmental reasons.

Commenting on the study, Professor Anna Hansell, University of Leicester, said: “While it is extremely likely that there is a link between air pollution and Covid-19 mortality, it is premature to attempt to accurately quantify it, as here, given the current state of the evidence.

“However, there are many other good reasons to act now to reduce air pollution, which the WHO (World Health Organization) already links to seven million deaths worldwide per year.”

In the UK, PM2.5 comes from a variety of sources including wood burners, road traffic (both from exhaust emissions and from brakes, tires and road wear) and industrial, construction and manufacturing processes.